Carroll Foster manages a small music company that promotes South African musicians. While home one night around Christmastime, Foster's children, Jesse and Hannah, asked why there were no stories combining African culture with the holiday season. Having no answer, they decided to write their own Christmas story. Born and raised in Texas, Foster moved to South Africa in 1982. She and her family live in a suburb of Johannesburg. Carroll Foster manages a small music company that promotes South African musicians. While home one night around Christmastime, Foster's children, Jesse and Hannah, asked why there were no stories combining African culture with the holiday season. Having no answer, they decided to write their own Christmas story. Born and raised in Texas, Foster moved to South Africa in 1982. She and her family live in a suburb of Johannesburg. Carroll Foster manages a small music company that promotes South African songwriters. At home one night around Christmas time, her children, Jesse and Hannah, asked why there wasn't a tale combining African culture with the holiday season. Having no answer, they decided to write their own Christmas story. Not only is this tale innovatively African, every book sold supports a child at Sparrow Schools, which strives to assist disadvantaged, learning-disabled children and youth to realize their full potential. Born and raised in Texas, Foster moved to South Africa in 1982. She lives in a suburb of Johannesburg. Author/illustrator James Rice (1934-2004) produced sixty books, including the illustrations for Pelican's treasured The Night Before Christmas Series. Rice's first book, the well-loved classic Cajun Night Before Christmas (R), has more than 750,000 copies in print. Young readers can enjoy more of Gaston (R)'s adventures in Gaston (R) Goes to Mardi Gras and sample Rice's other children's stories with favorites such as Texas Jack at the Alamo. With more than 1.5 million copies of his books in print, Rice ranks among the nation's best-selling creators of children's books, receiving awards from Printer Industries of America and the Children's Book Council, among others. Years after his death, Rice's family found the art and text Gaston (R) Joins the Circus, and this discovery has brought Gaston (R) back for one more adventure! Virginia Mixson Geraty is the world's foremost authority on Gullah and one of the few people who has mastered the art of writing the language. In addition to serving as Gullah consultant for the British Broadcasting Company on the